Altia has been awarded as the Green Company of the Year in the highly respected The Drinks Business Green Awards 2018. Altia was selected as the winner due to the bio and circular economy achieved at its Koskenkorva distillery in Finland.

The Drinks Business Green Awards, organised by The Drinks Business magazine, recognises the

drinks companies who are leading the way in sustainability and environmental performance.
The Green Company of the Year recognition is awarded annually to a company that demonstrates its commitment to developing environmental responsibility especially by changing and improving business practices to lower its carbon footprint.

“We are very happy and excited about the Green Company of the Year award! It is great to see that our continuous sustainability work especially in the Koskenkorva distillery and Koskenkorva brand itself is recognised globally,” said Altia’s SVP Marketing, Kirsi Puntila.

Koskenkorva distillery is a forerunner in bio and circular economy

Altia was selected as The Green Company of the Year due to the bio and circular economy achieved at its Koskenkorva distillery in Finland. Koskenkorva distillery uses about 200 million kilos of Finnish barley each year and none of this goes to waste. The barley husk that would otherwise not be used in the distillery’s production is incinerated in the plant’s own bioenergy power plant, which produces steam energy for the distillation process.

Thanks to the renewable fuel, Koskenkorva distillery has decreased its carbon dioxide emissions by over 50% since 2014 and its self-sufficiency in fuels in steam generation has increased to over 60%.

The Koskenkorva distillery produces grain spirit for Altia’s beverages, such as Koskenkorva Vodka. In addition to grain spirit, the Koskenkorva plant produces starch and raw material for animal feed. Even the carbon dioxide generated in the process is collected and used for example in greenhouse cultivation.

Pure unfiltered ground water

In addition to Finnish barley, the other key element in Altia’s products, such as Koskenkorva Vodka, is pure water. The water used in Altia’s bottling plant in Rajamäki, Finland, is pure unfiltered ground water that fulfills all the quality requirements without any chemical or mechanical processing. Altia protects the water abstraction areas by owning land, limiting construction in the area and establishing environmental protection areas.

The recycling and utilisation of waste are at a very high level at Altia: Over 99% of the waste is recycled or reutilised.

Further information:
Niina Ala-Luopa, Communications Manager, Altia, +358 400 728 957, niina.ala-luopa@altiagroup.com